To position or double lock terminal metal fittings which are installed into terminal accommodating holes, a variety of connectors in which a separate component is inserted and installed into the housing body are developed.
For such kinds of connectors, the insertion-installed component which is inserted and installed into the housing body can be positioned at two positions, which are a temporary locking position and a principal locking position, by engaging with component locking means which are equipped on the housing body side.
The temporary locking position is a position before the terminal metal fittings are positioned or double locked. The principal locking position is a position where the insertion-installed component is further pushed into the housing from the temporary locking position, and is a position where part of the insertion-installed component positions or double locks the terminal metal fittings.
FIGS. 5 to 7 show a conventional example of a connector 100 in which an insertion-installed component is inserted into a housing body. The connector 100 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is disclosed in the following patent document 1.
The connector 100 includes a housing body 101 and a holder 111 which is an insertion-installed component to be inserted and installed into the housing body 101.
A rear end 101a side of the housing body 101 becomes a terminal accommodating part 102. Although not shown in the figure, the terminal accommodating part 102 is provided with a plurality of terminal insertion holes which penetrate the housing in the front-rear direction (an arrow Y1 direction in FIG. 5) and into which terminal metal fittings are inserted and installed. A front end 101b of the housing body 101 is a hood part 103 to which a mating connector is fitted.
A space positioned in front of the terminal accommodating part 102 and at the inner side of the hood part 103, as shown in FIG. 6, is a component accommodating space 104 in which the holder 111 is inserted and installed. That is, the holder 111 is inserted and installed into the component accommodating space 104, which is a space that opens to the front of the housing, in a direction as shown by an arrow Y2 in FIG. 5.
As shown in FIG. 6, guiding grooves 105 extend along the insertion direction of the holder 111 on the inner surfaces of two outside walls of the housing body 101.
Outside walls 113 of the holder 111 to be described below are fitted in the guiding grooves 105 and are movable in the insertion direction.
The holder 111 is a member which holds the front end sides of the terminal metal fittings which are installed into the terminal accommodating part 102, and improves the holding precision of the terminal metal fittings. The holder 111 includes a front part wall 112 which is positioned at the front end side of the terminal accommodating part 102, and the arm-shaped outside walls 113 which extend from two sides of the front part wall 112 along the insertion direction.
Both sides of the outside walls 113 are parallel to two side walls of the hood part 103, and the outside walls 113 are belt-shaped plates which extend along the insertion direction. The upper and lower surfaces of the outside walls 113 are equipped with temporary locking parts 116 and principal locking parts 117.
The temporary locking parts 116 are protrusions which protrude upwards from upper side surfaces 113a of the outside walls 113. As shown in FIG. 7, the holder 111 is fixed to the temporary locking position by the engagement of the temporary locking parts 116 and first component locking means 106 which protrude from upper inner surfaces 105a, which are opposed to the upper side surfaces 113a of the outside walls 113, of the guiding grooves 105. FIG. 6 shows that the temporary locking parts 116 engage with the first component locking means 106 and the holder 111 is fixed to the temporary locking position.
The principal locking parts 117 are protrusions which protrude downwards from lower side surfaces 113b of the outside walls 113. When the outside walls 113 are further pushed into the guiding grooves 105 from the state as shown in FIG. 7, the principal locking parts 117 climb over second component locking means 107 which protrude from lower inner surfaces 105b of the guiding grooves 105, and engage with the second component locking means 107.
The lower inner surfaces 105b of the guiding grooves 105 are surfaces which are opposed to the lower side surfaces 113b of the outside walls 113.
When the principal locking parts 117 climb over the second component locking means 107, and engage with the second component locking means 107, the holder 111 is fixed to the principal locking position.